Hegseth’s attorney, Timothy Parlatore, told The Associated Press that the allegations are “completely false.”
“This was investigated by the police at the time and they found no evidence,” Parlatore said.
Monterey city officials declined to release the police report documenting the allegations and instead issued a brief statement Thursday night in response to reporters’ inquiries.
According to the statement, Monterey police were contacted in October 2017 to investigate a sexual assault that allegedly occurred several days earlier at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Monterey and involved Hegseth.
The person who reported the attack – whose name, age and gender were not released – had bruises on her right thigh. There were no weapons involved in the confrontation, the person told police. The incident occurred sometime between 11:59 p.m. on Oct. 7 and 7 a.m. the following morning, according to a city statement.
Hegseth was in town at the time to address the California Federation of Republican Women during a banquet dinner held at the group’s biennial convention, according to social media posts and promotional materials from the time.
The alleged attack was first reported by Vanity Fair on Thursday.
Monterey city officials said they are withholding further details included in the police report because it includes analysis and conclusions by law enforcement officials that are exempt from release under the state’s public records law.
At the time of the alleged assault in 2017, Hegseth, now 44, was going through a divorce with his second wife, with whom he has three children. She filed for divorce after he fathered a child with his now-wife Fox News producer, according to court records and Hegseth’s social media posts. His first marriage ended in 2009, also after Hegseth’s infidelity, according to court records.
In a statement, Steven Cheung, a Trump transition spokesman, said the president-elect is “appointing high-caliber and exceptionally qualified candidates to serve in his administration.”
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“MR. Hegseth vehemently denied all allegations and no charges were filed. We look forward to his confirmation as Secretary of Defense of the United States so he can begin on day one to make America safe and great again,” Cheung said.
Hegseth was chosen by Trump to be the Secretary of Defense this week. Hegseth developed a close relationship with Trump, who also reportedly considered him for a post in his first administration. Hegseth lobbied Trump to release military personnel accused of war crimes.
A staunch conservative who embraces Trump’s “America First” policy, he has pushed for the military to become more lethal. During an interview on “The Shawn Ryan Show” podcast, he said allowing women to serve in combat harms the effort.
“Everything about men and women serving together makes the situation more complicated, and the complication of combat means the casualties are even greater,” Hegseth said.